Cruel to Be Kind
by jumbyxjenkins
Summary: A collection of One-Shots to accompany the story 'I'm Your Villain! These are going to be things in the same story/universe that are not plot vital, or can't logically be placed into the primary plot. (Note: This will probably also be where I get to explore my side pairings in depth!) Rated for language, violence, and probably eventually smut too, who knows?
1. Make Them See You

NOTES:::

Set before the main part of the story, but after Chizue break's Shinso's nose & steals his heart. Answering the question of: How did Shinso get our favorite grumpy underground hero to teach him?

Relevant Relationship Tags:

Aizawa & Shinso

Eraserhead/Present Mic

* * *

**Aizawa**

I started noticing him several weeks back. He was just a lanky kid with purple hair who kept showing up at different parts of my patrol route. I never noticed him notice _me _though_. _He was just _there. _Looking at his phone in the corner booth of a cheap diner I was overlooking. Chatting with the bouncer of a seedy club that was known to produce more than its fair share of drunk and disorderly unauthorized quirk use. He never did anything stupid though. He never walked down the darkest alleys alone, always staying in a well lit areas. He never got in my way, or gave any _real _indication of anything suspicious. He just seemed like a kid who happened to walk around the same area as I did...except for the fact that I never saw him until a few weeks ago. And that I did some research on his school uniform and noticed his high school was nowhere _near _here. I could have looked past all that and kept on ignoring the kid; writing him off as one of the few fans I had as an underground hero who was just looking for a peek at me.

Except, yesterday I noticed him at the grocery store near my apartment. A place even _further _from his school than my patrol route. I was also out of costume. Off duty, in average civilian attire. He wasn't just following the hero Eraserhead. He was following _me. _He was far closer to my home than I was comfortable with. I watched him grab a few energy drinks from a display and walk to checkout. As far as I could see, he never even glanced at me in the pet supplies section. But I _knew _it wasn't a coincidence. This kid was tailing me.

So, the next day when I was walking home from UA, and noticed him kneeling down, playing with a stray cat in an alley just a few blocks from UA and in the direction of my apartment, I knew it was time. As I walked up behind him in the alleyway, he didn't even turn around to face me, even though I was intentionally making my footsteps heavy as an intimidation tactic. "Who are you and what do you hope to accomplish with this?"

He slowly stood and turned to face me, a nervous smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand, "Well, I like cats, and I am not really allowed to have pets, so I try to play with strays whenever I can and-"

"Cut the shit, kid. You aren't fooling me. You think I haven't noticed you?"

He tilts his head to the side and smirks, and between that and the dark bags under his eyes, he reminded me a lot of myself in that moment, "Well, I was starting to wonder if I was just going to have to walk up and introduce myself. I get not bothering to be suspicious of a kid when you are on patrol, but when I upped my game and started following you as a civilian I thought you'd act the second you noticed me, but it's been like, six days." He laughs and I am temporarily stunned. _Six days? _I only noticed him yesterday, he was following my civilian identity for four days and I didn't notice? I'm getting sloppy. The fact that I hadn't responded must have given me away because his grin widened, "Wait, you didn't realize until more recently than that? Was it yesterday in the store? Cause I know you saw me then...but then again, I was also sure you saw me at the train station on Tuesday..." The kid trails off and I am losing patience rapidly.

"What do you hope to accomplish by stalking a pro hero? You could be arrested." I growled, and the kid's smile falters a bit, settling into an uneasy smile, but determination in his lilac eyes.

"My name is Shinso Hitoshi, and I want you to mentor me to become a hero." He never breaks eye contact. He is tall for his age, but skinny. He doesn't flinch at my closeness. I haven't given the kid- Shinso- any reason to be comfortable around me, yet he shows no fear.

Still, I quirk a brow incredulously, "You've got to be kidding me."

"My whole life, my dream has been to become a hero. To use my quirk to help people. But that entire time, people have told me that it will never happen. That I can't be a hero with my quirk. That I should be a villain. I was ready to listen. Ready to give up on my dream and settle for whatever a kid like me could manage, but I met someone who broke my nose and knocked some sense into me. She told me that the only thing keeping me from being a hero was myself. If I wanted something, I had to chase it with everything I had. So that is what I am doing. I _know _I can't do this alone. I need a mentor, and you have been my hero since you debuted when I was ten. You gave me hope for myself. _Please._"

I stare at him for a moment. His fists clenched and shaking at his sides. His breathe uneven. His voice breaking there at the end. Somewhere during that speech he switched from determination to desperation, and I wasn't sure what to think about that. I sigh, "You want to be a hero to impress some girl? No thanks. I'm out."

I start to turn away. A part of me hoped he would put up a fight and try to stop me, but I assumed he wouldn't. He said I was his hero. He put me up on some pedestal as proof that he could be a hero too. Most would be flattered, but not me. I worked hard to get to where I am, and I deal with enough half assed attempts at heroism at UA. I'm not about to waste my time on some kid who gives up after a discouraging word from his idol. I-

"Wait, Eraserhead, can I ask you a question?" The shaking of his voice is still there, but it's laced with that determination yet again, and it's enough to stop in my tracks and turn back to face him. His eyes are alight with fire as I meet them,

"Wha-" As soon as I speak, I feel a fog enter my mind. I am still looking through my eyes, but it's like I am looking through water, and as I try to move my arms, I realize I can't. I can't activate my quirk either, I'm just-

"Oh shit, I just did that." Shinso mutters, glancing at the ground before stepping closer to me. "No going back now, I guess." He sighs, meeting my eyes once again. "You can't move right now because I don't want you to. You can still hear me, and still think on your own because I allow it." He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck again, "My quirk is called Brainwashing. Anyone who answers my questions falls under my control." He sighs, "Yes, I know that I just used my quirk on a pro-hero and that is _very _illegal, but I didn't know what else to do. I worked so hard to find you. I couldn't just let you leave without hearing me out. I want to be a hero, but I know that I _can't _without help. I have always wanted to go to UA, but I also know that the entrance exam is fighting robots, and as you can see, that's not what I'm made for. My only hope is a recommendation, and I can't get that without training and connections..."

He pauses, just staring at me for a second before continuing with a stern look, "That's why I sought you out. I knew if anyone could understand what it's like to try to be a hero with a psychological quirk, it was you. So, _please. _Eraserhead... Aizawa Shota... Help me become a hero. If you can't mentor me, then at least tell me who I can try next."

Then, all at once, the fog clears, and I stumble on my feet as I regain control of my own body, staring down at the boy with the nervous expression on his face. "You know I am well within my rights to arrest you right now, right? Stalking. Unauthorized quirk use. Assault..."

"I know." He answers.

"But you did it anyway."

He shrugs, "I had to make you listen. I had to show you what I could do. I had to make you see me."

"Huh" It's somewhere between a scoff and a laugh, even I don't know which. "You said your name was Shinso and you want to go to UA's hero course, right?"

"Yes, sir." He answers, still nervous but I can see the flicker of hope in the kid's eyes.

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen. I'm in my first year of highscool."

"Hero prep?"

He scoffs, and then swallows hard as if he didn't mean to do so, "No. Public school."

"And what do your parents think of you stalking a pro hero so that you can beg them to train you?"

He gives a shrug and a mournful smile, "I've grown up in foster care. I have a villainous quirk. The system dropped me in a group home at fourteen and never looked back. They don't care what I do as long as I go to school, am back before curfew, and don't get arrested."

I clench my teeth, knowing _exactly _how kids with frightening quirks are treated once they are put in the system, and _brainwashing _was probably more feared than most. "I see." I start to walk out of the alley, "I usually pick up dinner on the way home. We-" I stop when I notice he isn't following me, "Are you coming?"

Shinso takes a quick inhale before sprinting to catch up with me and I stifle a laugh as he apologizes. "As I was saying...we can grab dinner and then go to the park near my apartment. I have no idea what I am working with here, so the sooner we get started the better." I look over at the purple haired teen walking beside me, "I assume you already know where I live, and what park I am talking about?"

He smirks, "Yeah. I sorta climbed the big tree next to the sidewalk to wait for you to walk by so I could get a feel for your schedule. You might want to reconsider being a creature of habit. Makes you predictable."

"How long _were _you stalking me?"

He hums a bit, "After about a week of internet stalking, I actually started following you as a hero about nine weeks ago. Figured out who you really were about two weeks ago, and since you hadn't confronted me, started following you personally about a week ago." He laughs a bit, "I...uh...also started following Present Mic three days ago, too. Hoping _that _would trigger you. But he noticed me on the first day, thinking I was a fan. He signed my music history notebook and I abandoned that course of action." He laughs.

I glare at him, "You started following Hizashi too? And he noticed you before I did?"

He nods, "Yeah, I thought it was hilarious too. It was like he had eyes hidden in his hair and realized I was looking at him. I think you are just so used to blending in that you don't even realize that people are looking at you, but he has some sort of uncanny fan radar."

"I trust that you have kept everything you have learned a secret?"

"Of course. I wanted you to mentor me. I wasn't going to go blabbing to the world about your name, or where you live, or your secret famous boyfriend."

In spite of myself, I chuckle, "Husband, actually...How did you know?"

"You live together." He states, and I start to open my mouth but he continues before I get the chance, "And I may have seen you kissing through a half opened window before promptly deciding never to climb that tree again." He turns to me with a smirk, "Blinds are your friends, Aizawa-sensei."

"I'll keep that in mind..."

"I'm also happy to tell you about all the resources I used and weaknesses I exploited so that you can fix them." He hums, "I am sure the press wouldn't bother going to the lengths that I went through, but a vindictive villain might." He shrugs, "Can't be too safe."

"Right..." I answer as we reach a cat cafe I am rather fond of. As we get seated and swarmed by cats, we give our orders to the waitress and I look at Shinso, finally coming to terms with the fact that I just took on a _protege. _This isn't just a student. He's more than that. I'll make sure he has what it takes to get into UA. I'll make sure he has what it takes to be a hero. "So...tell me about your quirk..."


	2. A Second of Hope

NOTES:: Meant to be read AFTER chapter 10 of I'm Your Villain! I wasn't sure whether I wanted to have Chizue and Rin elaborate on their "rescue" to someone or not. But I thought, even if they did, a simple conversation couldn't convey how it was meant to be, so if you want to know about the night Chizue and Rin finally escaped their father. This is the chapter.

* * *

**Chizue**

That night was like any other. My father forced me to fight some other kid, and when I refused to take it as far as he wanted, he broke me just enough to hurt but not enough to kill me. Gashes in my thighs and upper arms. A few broken ribs. The coughing up blood told me that one of them had punctured something. It was going to be another long night, Rin pushing herself despite her own injuries to stitch me up with her threads as best as she could.

I expected to be locked in the infirmary until Doc arrived in the morning. That was the drill. A night full of agony to teach me a lesson, and Doc would patch me up good as new and ready for a new day. We were barely a few hours into the night when I watched Rin suddenly drop my arm she was stitching up to cover her ears like she was in pain. She clutched her ears as she looked around the room and towards the door, then back to me, mouthing "Alarm. Red alert."

She grit her teeth tightly and dropped her hands back to my arms, mouthing an apology before she dragged me away from the center of the room and towards the back corner of the room. I bit the inside of my jaw to keep from screaming as I watched the lengthening bloodtrail from our normal position against the wall in the center of the room to the corner furthest from the door. When we stopped moving and she pushed me up against the wall, I saw her face again. She was still in pain. The alarms must still be blaring. She suddenly looks towards the door, and there is fear in her eyes as she looks back to me. "There is screaming. Gunshots. Loud banging. Explosions. I-" She swallows hard, "I don't know what's going on."

She looks back to the door and her eyes widen, and when I follow her eyes, I see the lock turn and the door fly open. He doesn't even look at us as he slams the door closed again and locks it behind him. He is limping and his left pant leg is red with blood. His hands match, and when he turns around, it's not his normal look of his cold brown eyes and half smirk. He isn't smug. He looks manic. Almost even...afraid. He pulls the 9mm pistol from his belt as he limps towards us, and Rin shifts so she is in front of me.

I smell iron, but it doesn't just smell like blood, it seems like more, and the room starts to feel warmer, even with my blood loss. He turns his head behind him towards the door, then back to us, and then the smile is back. The smile he wears when he cuts my skin. When he breaks my bones. When he makes me do something terrible just to see how I'll react. "I have one final lesson for you." He cocks the gun and Rin grips my hand tighter, "Never give up your control. Even if the only thing you have left to control is who kills you." He exhales what I know to be one of his sadistic chuckles as he raises the gun to his right temple. Without hesitation he squeezes the trigger.

In that moment, I see the slide recoil. I feel the vibration of the shot in my lungs. I see Rin's body tense as her grip on my hand loosens. I see all the blood and bits of skull and brain matter as they splatter on the wall and drip down to the floor. I feel the warmth of his body as he collapses to his knees and falls towards us. I see the pool of blood creep closer to us with every beat of his dying heart. Soon, I feel his blood seep into my clothing and cling to my skin. It's warm, but not as warm as the air.

I barely even had time to come to grips with the fact that my father was dead in front of me. That the man who ruined me every single day from the day I was born was no longer in this world to hurt me. It must have been less than a minute between his gunshot and my realization of the situation. But it felt like an eternity.

It was hot because the hinges of the door were _melting. _I could smell the iron because some of it was evaporating into the air. And when that door finally came crashing open to a scene of orange and blue. The flaming blue jumpsuit. The red hair. The signature scowl. I knew exactly who it was from the TV. I knew Endeavor was a _hero. _

In that moment, everything I had ever heard about the hero rankings was a crock of shit. Because for those few brief seconds, I forgot who All Might was. The only hero that mattered was the one right in front of me. For that brief piece of time, Endeavor was my All Might. For those few seconds as I looked at him in the doorway I had _hope. _Hope, for the first time in my entire life. Heroes were real and we _could _be saved. Rin was wrong. Tee was wrong. Heroes _were _good.

His eyes dropped to the corpse of my father almost immediately and his lip turned up in derision. Disgust. Disappointment. Then, he glanced past him and looked at _us. _First Rin, then me. Two fourteen year old girls sitting in a pool of blood. Some mine, some our fathers, and when his ice blue eyes met mine, I thought I'd see comfort. Safety. A _savior. _I saw nothing.

He barely looked at us as anything more than a scrap of garbage before scoffing and crossing his arms across his chest. He turned and walked back out the door. I watched his retreating back, even as he waved his arm and muttered something to people outside the door.

As the police rushed in with raised rifles and I tried my best to raise my hands, I saw the hate in their faces. We weren't victims to them and we were _nothing _to him. As they dragged us out of the room, not caring even a little bit about Rin's broken leg or my diced up arm, I barely even felt the pain. I was drowning in the gaping hole where hope once was. It was gone as soon as it came. I was a fool to think a hero would come into our fathers base, see us hiding in a corner and scoop us into his arms telling us we were going to be fine. That shit doesn't happen to people like us. We don't get rescued from our hell to go somewhere nice, we just get taken to another one. Because at the end of the day, a hero, our _savior _looked at us as little more than scum on his boot. He showed more emotion at finding our father already dead than from seeing us. He didn't care. Nobody did. We weren't even people to them. To my father, my mother, Endeavor, _everyone. _My sister and I weren't people. We were just _things. Experiments _to be used and tossed away. I was a fool to think otherwise. _Even for a second._


End file.
